


Playing it Fast and Loose

by misura



Category: Ocean's (Movies)
Genre: Community: smallfandomfest, M/M, Pre-Movie(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-24
Updated: 2015-04-24
Packaged: 2018-04-04 17:16:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4146048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Seriously," Linus said, "you're going to have me <i>arrested</i>?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Playing it Fast and Loose

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shadownashira](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadownashira/gifts).



> prompt: _Linus/Terry, Linus meets Terry first_

"Seriously," Linus said, "you're going to have me _arrested_?"

They'd somehow, somewhere found him the least comfortable chair _ever_ , sitting him down in it as if he was some sort of petty criminal who'd make a run for it the first chance he got - which Linus was almost tempted to do now; sure, they'd catch him in less than five minutes, and it'd be all kinds of immature and unprofessional and stupid, but hey, you pissed off a guy bad enough, you couldn't expect him to keep his cool and just play along.

That 'way too loud, seriously, are you kidding me?' alarm hadn't helped, either. Half a minute longer, and he was pretty sure his ears'd have actually started bleeding. Figuratively, if nothing else.

Benedict looked up from some sort of paperwork that probably had nothing whatsoever to do with anything. Linus'd be willing to lay three-to-one odds Benedict wasn't even holding it right side up. "You were caught red-handed. Why _shouldn't_ I hand you over to the police? Mister ... Taylor?"

"You can call me Terry," Linus said. "All my friends do."

 

_three weeks previous_

"Now, isn't this nice?" His mother beamed at Terry while passing him the bread basket. Terry smiled back, all politeness and good manners and expensive suits with mousetraps stuffed down every pocket which was nothing if not childish, if you asked Linus, as well as totally uncalled for.

 _"They're my_ parents _. For crying out loud,"_ he'd told Terry the night before, fingers still smarting, upon which Terry had added insult to injury by serenely replying:

 _"Well, I don't expect_ them _not to show any self-restraint."_

Which might not have been the _best_ reason for Linus making off with Terry's new cellphone, but then, these things happened. He was going to give it back, anyway. Probably.

He was keeping the paperweight, though, as well as three of the mousetraps he'd managed to lift _without_ setting them off. He did have his pride, after all.

"Very nice," Terry said. "May I say, you're an excellent cook."

"Why, thanks. Tried to teach our Linus here, but he takes after his dad." Linus ducked - too late, of course, not to have his hair ruffled like he was ten or so, and 'too cute for words'.

"Mom." Linus stared down at his plate.

"Sorry he couldn't be here today, but you know how it is, I'm sure."

Terry smiled again. "Perhaps Mr Caldwell will be able to join us next time. Let's say, in another two months? Would that be long enough to convince you my intentions are honorable?"

"Oh, I ain't doubting your intentions. Just your - what's that word again? Your _compatibility_."

Terry hmmed. "Seeking to rob me of - shall we say a tenth? of my fortune seems a bit ... disproportionate if the issue is simply one of me and your son being incompatible."

Linus wondered if anyone'd notice if he slunk out the door now. He'd grab some cheese, some salad, one of the bread baskets ... probably find his dad somewhere upstairs.

"More salad? Linus? Mr Benedict?"

Linus shook his head.

"Please," Terry said. "Terry. We're all friends here, aren't we?"

 

"Terry." The left corner of Benedict's mouth moved perhaps a fraction of a millimeter. "Really?"

"That's what it says on my driver's license, doesn't it? Terry Taylor."

Benedict shut the folder. Linus noted it had actually been right side up, which huh. Good to know for next time, even if of course it might've just been luck. "All right, Terry. I'll play along. Why _shouldn't_ I have you arrested?"

 

_three weeks previous_

"So that was awkward," Linus said, watching Terry unbutton his jacket, surreptitiously checking its pockets. Linus'd thought he might get another couple of mousetraps, but his heart just hadn't been into it and anyway, he didn't like to be predictable.

He was glad they'd gotten a hotel room, though, instead of staying at his parents'. Dessert had been okay, sort of, which was to say: better than the main course, which wasn't saying much.

"I think it went about as well as could be expected." Terry started on his shirt.

"You uh." It wasn't as if Linus had never realized how badly this thing could blow up in his face. "You know my dad's not really going to steal your money or anything, right?"

"Not successfully, no," Terry said.

"Not ... " Linus grabbed a pillow and considered throwing it at Terry. "Could you be any more arrogant? I mean, do you even know who my dad is? What he's done? The kind of people he's robbed?"

"Yes, yes, yes and yes again," Terry said. He sounded amused.

"You have a _file_? On my _dad_?"

Terry shrugged. "I'm a very rich man. I plan to stay one."

Not a fight Linus figured he could win - especially not given that yeah, all right, Linus's dad had probably spent a weekend or so casing each of Terry's casinos.

"I do _not_ believe you could be any more arrogant." Linus shook his head. "No way, no how."

"Trust me, compared to the rest of my family, I'm humility personified," Terry said. The bed dipped slightly as he sat down.

Linus considered scooting over. "You gonna introduce me?"

"I thought I'd keep you a surprise for a while," Terry said. "Perhaps for our anniversary."

 

Linus licked his lips. They _were_ a bit dry - nothing ruined a tight schedule like an unplanned for bathroom break or even the _desire_ for one, and of course nobody'd offered him so much as a glass of water since they'd dragged him in here.

Honestly, the service industry was in a sad state nowadays, if this was anything to go by.

"Come on," he said. "You expect me to believe you call the cops every time your boyfriend's late for dinner?"

 

_one week previous_

"You don't like it," Terry said.

Linus shrugged. The word 'ugly' came to mind, but hey, to each his own. It wasn't as if Terry ever criticized his taste in shirts, or music, or movies. Much. "Hey, what do I know about art?"

"Other than how to steal it, smuggle it, sell it - nothing whatsoever, I'm sure."

"I know it's a Manet. Early years."

"You want it gone, you know what to do." Terry looked pensive. "I thought it might look nice by the dinner table. No?"

"No," Linus said.

"The dinner table it is, then. Oh, and don't worry, it's fully insured."

"Good to know."

"So. Dinner again next week, same time, same place?"


End file.
